heart made of tin
by oceans-of-light
Summary: Zelena requires three things for her revenge on Regina to be complete: a brain, courage, and a heart. Regina's has escaped her reach for now, but she is not the only person in Storybrooke with a strong heart. Written before 3x17, spoilers up until then. A Captain Swan story.
1. part one

_heart made of tin _

_summary: _Zelena requires three things for her revenge on Regina to be complete: a brain, courage, and a heart. Regina's has escaped her reach for now, but she is not the only person in Storybrooke with a strong heart.

* * *

_part one_

Ever since the showdown between Regina and Zelena a few days ago that had resulted in the witch disappearing, Emma, David, Regina and Hook had been scouring the entire town for any sign of her. It had been four days since then, and the group had all trudged miserably into Granny's after another unsuccessful day of searching.

They had eaten their full, and were currently gathering their coats and other belongings to head back to the loft to tell Mary Margaret (who had been put on babysitting duty) the results of the day.

Hook glanced back as they made for the exit, noticing that Regina was still seated at the booth, her eyes focused on Robin Hood, sitting at the bar with a few of his mates. Hook snorted, once, catching David's attention. The prince looked back to the booth, and laughed quietly to himself.

"Regina?" he asked, amused. "You coming?"

She jerked, as if noticing that they'd all moved for the first time. "Oh .. uh, I'll catch up with you," she said, absently, waving them off.

Emma and Hook exchanged an entertained glance as they ducked out of Granny's, David following behind with a chuckle. Hook didn't know this Robin Hood fellow very well, but he had somehow gotten a strange hold on Regina – the evil queen Hook had known in the Enchanted Forest never seemed farther away than whenever the former outlaw was around.

They had arrived at Granny's just after sunset, and it was well into the evening now, the sky above them pinpricked with bright stars, the cool air coming in off the Atlantic making slight goosebumps rise on Hook's exposed skin as they left the warmth of the diner behind.

"Why is it always so damn cold out," he muttered, more to himself than anyone, but Emma heard.

"If you wore something other than a half open shirt all the time, maybe you wouldn't be so cold."

Hook smirked, winking at Emma. "But half the enjoyment of living in a seaside town is getting to enjoy the view."

Emma rolled her eyes, and David shot Hook a dirty look. "So what's the plan for tomorrow?" he asked, purposefully changing the subject. "More scoping the woods for Zelena? I was thinking we should really ask Ruby to come along –"

A cold voice interrupted the rest of David's sentence: "That won't be necessary."

All three whirled around, but not surprisingly, it was Zelena standing before them. David and Emma instantly drew their guns, in sync with each other, while Hook unsheathed his sword. Zelena actually had the gall to look offended as they all poised their weapons at her, a green gloved hand coming up to hover above her chest.

"Isn't there something called small town goodwill?"

"Cut the crap," Emma snapped. "What are you doing here?"

Zelena smiled, an innocent, puckering smile, but there was a lethal fluidity to her motion as she took a few steps forward that seemed a far cry from her demure midwife routine. She ignored Emma's question completely, her eyes wandering to Hook.

"Captain." She nodded at him, eyeing him up and down, a hungry expression on her face. "You are looking well."

Hook frowned at her, unsure of what she was doing by drawing attention to him. He had never met her before Storybrooke – if he had, he would've known instantly that she was the witch.

Emma was frowning too, her brow furrowed as she looked furiously between Zelena and Hook. "You two know each other?"

"Can't say that we've had the pleasure of meeting," Hook said, narrowing his eyes. "Until now."

Zelena seemed terribly pleased. "There's never a time like the present." Her eyes scanned briefly over David and Emma, and then back to him. "In fact –"

Before he knew what was happening or could even brace himself for it, Hook was being thrown backwards by a sharp blast of Zelena's magic. He landed hard on the road in front of Granny's café, his sword clattering away and his face and exposed chest scraping on the pavement as he slid to a stop a good ten metres away from where he had been previously standing. Hook heard both Emma and David cry out in alarm as he lay there, groaning. His good hand reached up to touch his face and came away sticky with blood.

"Bloody menace," he muttered, wiping his hand clean on his vest as he made to get up, ready to face the witch, but suddenly Zelena was beside him, green smoke evaporating off her with every step she took. She kicked him down with surprising force, knocking the wind out of him. He lay stunned, trying to force the air back into his lungs, and then Zelena hovering above him, and to his horror, thrusting her hand into his chest.

He screamed as her fingers gripped around his beating heart, his shock and agony mixing together as he fell back against the ground.

Emma and David were screaming too, but Zelena was waving her free hand and the dust and dirt and old leaves on the ground around them were rising under Zelena's command, creating a swirling wall that locked him and her within and kept David and Emma firmly out.

Hook was aware that they were still calling out for him, but pain was blinding him, his mind unable to focus on anything but the woman in front of him. Zelena had adjusted herself so that she was crouched next to him, using his heart as an anchor to pull him closer to her. He was halfway off the ground, his bad arm's elbow resting on the ground as his only support as Zelena heaved on his heart to bring their faces nearly touching.

"Hope you don't mind my little twister," she said, pleasantly. "Can't have that pesky saviour or prince interrupting our conversation."

"A conversation that requires your hand in my chest," Hook croaked. "How lovely."

The witch smirked, and cocked her head slightly to the left, a curious expression dawning over her face as she stared into Hook's bleeding face. It was starting to be a battle within itself for Hook to remain focused, black spots dotting his vision and his heart searing with pain from her sharp fingers around it. He had had this done to him twice previously – by Rumpelstiltskin and Cora in turn, but it was not something that one got used to with experiences.

"You know, I had heard about you, Captain," Zelena mused, her voice thoughtful and oddly sweet. "Even in Oz, we heard stories of the merciless and terrible pirate named after the hook he wears as a hand."

"Glad to see my reputation preceded me," he said, his attempt at sarcasm weak.

She snorted. "Your _reputation_ does not do you justice. I had expected a true villain, a man worthy of the legendary title of Captain Hook." She rolled her eyes at him, mouth curling into a smile of disgust. "You worked with my mother, did you not? I doubt Cora would have worked with you if you were like how you are now."

"I was different then," Hook said, through gritted teeth, flashes of ripping out Aurora's heart, torturing Archie Hopper, shooting Belle over the town line. "Worse."

"Well, that is a matter of opinion," Zelena said, her voice delicate as her smile turned sweet again. "I happen to think that that was your _best_. Not this man who has been burned by both love and revenge too many times to count. What happened to that pirate, Captain?" She tugged on his heart again, making Hook hiss in pain, weak arm straining at the shoulder socket as she pulled him closer. "He was much more my type of man; a real antagonist who the world will forever remember. Who's going to remember boring old Killian Jones, giving up his reputation, his fame, his _legacy_, for a woman who will never love him?"

He refused to rise to her bait, gritting his teeth shut against the flash of white hot agony in his heart, both physical and emotional.

"It's sad, really. Quite sad. I had thought so highly of you." She paused, thoughtful for a second. "You know, I've been told my mother's favourite phrase was that _love is weakness_. I didn't really understand it, not fully, until I met you, Captain. But now … now I see it. Love, which all people crave and yearn for, you the most of all, leaves the people who would risk it all weak and useless."

"Your impression of love leaves much to be desired," Hook said faintly. Her hand clenched painfully around his heart, and he fell silent.

"Yes, yes it does indeed. But, that is the truth about love, Captain, and you are the prime example of how true her words were. It brings only pain and unhappiness. A parent's love for their child isn't enough, a sibling will be gone before their time has come, a lover will die before you … leaving only a broken individual behind who would have been better off without that momentary flash of happiness that _love _brings."

Each word stung him, his thoughts swirling to his father and the morning he'd woken up alone, to Liam and his brother's collapse from the accursed dreamshade, to Milah and her last, soft _I love you_.

Zelena was watching him closely, like a tiger watching its prey for a sign of final weakness. "But, as I'm sure you known, _unrequited love_," she whispered, a sharp nail running down Hook's cheek, her breath hot and sickly sweet as she leaned closer, "is the worst of them all."

Instantly, Hook became aware of Emma's voice, so distant as she was held back by the swirling dust storm. She was yelling something, her voice cracking with – was it distress? concern for him? horror at what was happening? – but even as he was listening, her voice was fading, the dust becoming thicker and thicker, spinning into a solid wall.

"Such a shame," Zelena was saying, her voice sounding farer and farer away to Killian. "That the great Captain Hook has been reduced to the victim of the heart that is Killian Jones."

He couldn't help but let out a mirthless laugh. Zelena didn't understand. She thought being a villain was better than being a hero, that it would bring more happiness, that it would complete her. He had thought so once, although not in so black and white terms as the witch. Captain Hook had been a monster, ruthless and villainous, hurting everyone and everything, including the shadow of Lieutenant Jones that remained deep within. But he hadn't cared, hadn't cared for centuries, until one sunny day in the ruined encampment of the Enchanted Forest survivors when he had first met her, first seen her.

He'd been a lost cause since then, he knew. Emma was so guarded, so damaged and so hurt, and so was he, but Killian thought that they could've healed their wounds all the worlds had inflicted on them together. He thought he had lost her forever because of Pan's curse, and had tried to return to the numbness of Captain Hook in that long year, but just the flickering memory of Emma was enough to save Killian Jones from his demons.

_Love is weakness_.

Zelena was wrong. Even though – and it hurt him more than any pain Zelena could bring down on him just to think it – Emma didn't love him and never could now, he would still love her. It wasn't weakness that had led him to where he was now; it was strength. Emma had brought the real Killian back from the cavern of darkness he had been trapped in within the façade of Captain Hook. He would still love her when he was dead, sunken into the depths of whatever hell was surely awaiting him.

At least he was going to die as Killian, he thought wildly as Zelena squeezed his heart once more. Not as Hook. Not as the monster who had ruined so many lives, hurt so many.

A sharp hand slapped his face then, rousing him slightly from his half-conscious mind. He groaned in pain, but the pain was even starting to disappear. Zelena's hand was so tight around his heart, her nails digging into the muscle, that everything was starting to go white with agony. He was dying, he realized. Really dying. Him, who had survived nearly four centuries, survived losing everyone he had ever loved, survived losing his hand, was finally dying.

Maybe he would get to see Liam and Milah and Bae again.

The thought was peaceful and so, _so _lovely, and instinctually, Killian relaxed his muscles, letting himself droop farther away from Zelena. He saw their faces as clearly as if they were in front of him, Liam's blue eyes the same as his, Milah's soft smile and shiny curls bouncing as she laughed with her son who had joined her now in death.

Zelena tutted, noticing that Killian was losing his will to fight, and pulled him again towards her, their noses now touching. "Oh, don't go dying on me now, Hook. I still require your assistance."

"I will never help you," Killian spat at her, aware of that much in the darkness that was slowly encroaching on him.

She smirked. "Alas, I don't think you'll have much of a choice. Regina's heart has eluded me for the time being, but it is no matter … for you are motivated by love," Zelena whispered, her voice low and nearly disappearing into the swirling wind. "As Prince Charming is motivated by his courage and the Dark One by his mind. Your heart is the one I need."

Even in his state, Killian's mind was racing. Love, courage, mind. Emma had said something about the Wicked Witch's story in this land several days ago, and he strained his delirious mind, searching for her words. It was something about how in the story Zelena was in from this world, three lost souls had been looking for those things: courage for a cowardly lion, brains for a man made of straw, a heart for a heartless tin man.

"No –" Killian started, adrenaline and horror giving him momentary strength. He knew what Zelena was going to do to him. She had David's sword, a symbol of his courage, had Rumplestiltskin's dagger, controlling him and his mind – all she needed was a heart.

A truly wicked smile came over Zelena; she had seen the flash of realization on Killian's face, and was relishing in her imminent triumph. "Killian Jones bores me." Her eyes flashed. "Let's bring Captain Hook back, shall we?"

With a sharp jerk, she ripped his heart clean out of his chest. Killian cried out in agony, dropping back as Zelena pulled away from him, his head smashing painfully against the cold cement. In the adrenaline fueled clarity, he had felt the urge to fight again, but now darkness was creeping into his vision again, the roar of the tornado around them fading. He watched Zelena straighten up, his heart, nearly equally red and black, clutched in her hand.

She smiled angelically down at him. "Sleep now, Hook. You'll know when you are needed." She winked at him once, and then a cloud of green smoke was enveloping her, washing over him in unison with the dust, and then the world was dark.

* * *

_ Let me know what you thought my dearies ;)_


	2. part two

_heart made of tin _

_summary: _Zelena requires three things for her revenge on Regina to be complete: a brain, courage, and a heart. Regina's has escaped her reach for now, but she is not the only person in Storybrooke with a strong heart.

note: thank you guys so much for all the alerts and reviews and favourites! You all make me so happy that you're enjoying the story; thank you all my lovelies!

* * *

_part two_

"We have to do something!" Emma screamed, trying to be heard over the raging tornado in front of them. Her hands were shaking, Hook's agonizing scream as he collapsed echoing in her mind. "David!"

Her father was staring at the dust storm, looking the most helpless Emma had ever seen him. She looked away from him, not wanting his powerlessness to make her feel even worse, her eyes focusing on the storm in front of her. She couldn't see anything from within, and that made her even more terrified. There was no knowing what Zelena was doing to Hook, or if he was even still alive –

Emma felt the sweet tingle of magic begin in her fingertips, her emotions that she was so used to reigning beginning to take over. Magic still terrified Emma, but her fear for Hook's life overcame the fear of her powers. She lifted her hands, jaw set; she was ready to use whatever magic she could muster against Zelena, but then, just as quickly as the dust storm had swept up, it began fading away. Emma's instant relief extinguished her brief conjuring of magic, and she dropped her hands.

When the dust cleared sufficiently, Emma could see that the witch was gone, the dark outline of Hook's figure emerging from the haze alone. He was lying flat on his back, his arms hanging listlessly at his side. His head was facing to the left, away from her and David, and he didn't move.

Emma's heart dropped into her stomach. She was running towards him before she had even registered the thought. "Call an ambulance!" she cried to David.

She dropped to her knees beside him, turning his limp head so that she could look into his face. It was bloody, full of dirt and dust, and his eyes were shut, entire face slack. He had been fine only minutes before, Emma thought hopelessly, staring at his silent face with wide eyes. He couldn't be dead, not Hook, not when – he had been _fine _– what had Zelena done to him –

"No, no, no," she muttered, pulling Hook even closer. He was so heavy, all the leather and dead weight pulling against her, her hands coming away sticky with blood from the back of his head as she tried to adjust him so that he wasn't just lying on the hard concrete. She choked on a sob she hadn't realized she'd been so close to releasing, staring at her hand covered in blood. She placed shaking fingers on his neck, leaving fingerprints of blood on his neck as she searched for a pulse.

She couldn't find one.

David was beside her then, a hand on her shoulder as he stared down into Hook's bloody face, horrified. "The ambulance is coming. Is he –?"

"I can't find his pulse," Emma said, choking on her words. "David, I can't –" This wasn't supposed to be how it ended, not with Hook, not like this. Was this her curse? Neal had just died in her arms days ago, Graham almost two years ago; she couldn't go through losing someone that way all over again, especially not Hook,_ not him, he can't die on me like this, not Killian _–

"The paramedics are almost here," David said, crouching next to her and wrapping his arm around her. His voice was shaking, his eyes frozen on Hook's silent figure. "They'll – they'll save him –"

He continued speaking, but Emma couldn't hear anything else he was saying; how could they save him, when he was lying dead in her lap?

People had started trickling out of Granny's diner at the ruckus, curious eyes soon turning horrified at the sight in front of them. Some fled back into the diner, but still others formed a concerned circle around Emma, Hook, and David. Regina hadn't come out, which was unfortunate as her magic probably could have saved Hook and Emma screamed for someone to fetch her.

Why hadn't she kept up with her magic lessons, Emma thought wildly. _I could've saved him if I knew how –_

But, before Regina could come out, the ambulance was there, sirens blazing and tires squealing as it came to a stop in front of the crowd. The paramedics were jumping out of the van, swinging heavy medical kits over their shoulders as they rushed towards Hook, David, and Emma, people parting like the sea for them.

The medics pushed David aside and slid Hook off Emma gently, edging her out of the way too as they surrounded him. David pulled her to her feet, wrapping an arm around her as they watched in morbid fascination as the paramedics checked Hook for his vitals and clasped a neck brace on. It was a few moments while they talked darkly to one another, muttering medical terms that Emma didn't understand, before they loaded Hook onto a stretcher. He was still unconscious, and he was bound so tightly to the stretcher that he couldn't move at all as they raised it into the back of the ambulance.

"Is he alive?" Emma asked, her voice unbearably small.

The paramedics exchanged a look; one departed for the driver's seat, the other clambered in after Hook's stretcher and the third approached Emma and David.

"It appears so," she said, and in that moment, Emma felt the air return to her lungs. "But we need to get him to the hospital immediately for a full examination … something isn't right." She shook her head, frowning. "One person can ride with us." She paused for a moment, glancing between David and Emma. "Sheriff?"

Her old title seemed to snap her out of the tangled web emotions she was feeling – _fear for his life, relief he was alive, horror at what would have happened had she lost him –_ giving her over to a cold numbness and professionalism. "Yes, yes, I'll come."

The paramedic nodded, turning away, but before Emma could follow her, David pulled Emma into a tight hug. "He'll be okay, Emma," he said into her hair, his arms tight around her, a hand cradling the back of her head. "Don't worry."

Emma pulled away, unable to speak.

"I'll tell Mary Margaret," David called after her. "We'll be there soon."

Emma nodded shortly, climbing up into the back of the ambulance, and then the doors were shut and they were off.

The ride to the hospital felt endless. She sat, numb, unable to look away from Hook as the paramedics stuck IVs into his arms and applied antibacterial wipes to his scraped chest and face. It must've stung his wounds, but Hook did not even flinch. As they worked, the male paramedic asked Emma what had happened and, as best she could, for Emma had only seen Zelena attack him and then him unconscious, she told them. The paramedics exchanged an uneasy glance when she mentioned Zelena's hand in Hook's chest, but didn't comment.

Hook was still unconscious when they reached the hospital, the paramedics unloading him in their quick, routine manner. Emma hurried after them, intending to not leave him, but was caught by a nurse as she passed.

"Family only," the nurse said firmly, pulling Emma to the side as the paramedics wheeled Hook down the hallway towards a set of double doors, doctors and nurses rushing down after them, shouting back and forth with each other.

Hook had no family, Emma thought frantically. "He –"

The nurse ignored her, speaking loudly over Emma's protestations. "You can wait out here, Sheriff; the doctors will inform you if anything happens."

The doors at the end of the hall swung shut behind the retreating doctors, only the echoes of their shouts remaining. Emma stared after them, feeling lost and utterly helpless. The nurse's grip was still strong on her arm, directing her to an empty waiting room chair. Emma sat, her frozen numbness was starting to wear off slightly, but it was giving way to a terrified panic, one that she couldn't deal with right now. A part of her knew why she was so terrified, why she was so bloody _petrified_ at the thought that Hook was going to die, but she shoved the feelings aside, trying to get her hands to stop shaking, trying to focus her mind on anything else.

She shrugged off her jacket, the adrenaline surging though her body making her much too hot. As she threw it over the seat next to her, Emma noticed that front of it was stiff with drops of dried blood. That made her hands shake even more, and she flipped it over the back of her seat, trying to ignore it.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Emma's thoughts fell onto the person responsible for this: Zelena. She didn't understand. She didn't understand what Zelena wanted, why she was tormenting Storybrooke, why she was hurting everyone Emma cared about. First Walsh was a flying monkey, then Neal was dead because of her, and now Hook.

What was the purpose of attacking Hook? Sure, he was on the 'good guys' side currently, but he had never been an outward threat to the witch, as far as Emma knew anyways. Had fetching Emma from New York, had bringing the Saviour back to Storybrooke, evoked some sort of ire in her that made Hook a target?

She stewed on her thoughts for several more minutes, getting more and more frustrated, and just when she was reaching the point of going out to find Zelena and throttle her, David, Mary Margaret and Henry burst through the main doors to the hospital. They all looked upset, but Henry the most of all. He was instantly at Emma's side, hazel eyes staring at her in alarm.

"Mom, what's going on? David said that Killian's injured?"

Emma rose, wrapping an arm around him, happy that she had turned her blood stained jacket over so Henry couldn't see it. "Yeah, kid. We – we were ambushed and he got hurt."

"He'll be alright, Emma," Mary Margaret said loudly, having finally waddled over to her and Henry. "Ho–Killian is anything if not resilient."

Emma smiled tightly at her mother, stuck between wishing for Mary Margaret's eternal optimism and wanting to shake her because _how can she be so hopeful all the time_. The paramedics had said Hook was alive but Emma hadn't felt a pulse and how can you not have a pulse and still be alive and the doctors had taken him so quickly and she still hadn't heard anything, no news, nothing –

"Emma, do you want to sit down?"

She jerked, realizing that she was still standing in the middle of the room; David had wandered off to talk to one of the nurses, and Mary Margaret and Henry had taken seats. Emma shook her head, and sat down again, arm around Henry's shoulders.

Into the silence of the waiting room, Henry asked quietly, "Did the same bad guys that killed my … killed my dad do this to him?"

She could've lied to him, told him that it was just a freak accident, but she didn't. Her heart aching, she said, hoarsely, "Yeah, it was them."

That only made Henry look more unhappy; he and Hook had gone 'camping' a couple of nights ago, Hook helping him come to terms with Neal's death, and Henry had developed a quick friendship with Killian during that time. And now, so soon after losing his father that he had no memories of, this was another blow to Henry.

About twenty minutes after Emma's family had arrived at the hospital, Regina and Robin Hood appeared on the scene as well.

Emma got to her feet, approaching the pair. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice, tilting her head slightly to Henry in a silent warning to keep their conversation quiet.

Regina's eyes flickered to her son, a pained expression coming across her face, before returning to look at Emma. "We were just coming out to see what was going on when the ambulance was leaving," she explained quietly. "David told us what happened, how Zelena attacked Hook." Her eyes darkened at the mention of her sister. "I wanted to see what she did exactly, what she's capable of…" She trailed off, looking at Robin, before adding, "And he wanted to see how the pirate was doing."

Emma looked to Robin, surprised. "You did? Do you know him?"

Robin shook his head. "No, not very well. I just … " he paused, looking uncomfortable. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "He isn't a flying monkey, is he? We've lost too many people to that curse already … I'd hate to see another go."

As if another guy turning into a flying monkey was what Emma needed, she thought somewhat dryly. "No, it was just Zelena with him; no monkeys in sight."

Robin looked ever so slightly relieved. "That is good news indeed, then," he said. "If the monkeys were getting bold enough to venture into the town itself we'd have a lot more to worry about."

Both Regina and Emma frowned at that thought, unwilling to even think of what that could mean for the townspeople. "We'll deal with that when it arises," Emma said firmly, hoping against hope that it never would.

* * *

Two hours later, there had still been no news on Hook's progress. David had continuously harassed the nurses for information about every fifteen minutes until they threatened to have security escort him out unless he stopped.

And, with no news at all now from the disgruntled nurses, Emma could tell it was going to be a long night. Henry was almost falling asleep on Mary Margaret's shoulder, his breathing becoming even and deep, and she was torn between sending him home with one of her parents and keeping him here so she could see him and know he was safe. She wanted him to get some sleep that wasn't on a bony shoulder, but she sincerely doubted Henry would go until he knew Killian was going to be okay.

Emma would've expected both Regina and Robin to leave earlier, but both, surprisingly (_or not,_ Emma thought, noticing that Regina was staring longingly at Henry) had stuck around. Emma cleared her throat, making the dark haired woman's eyes flicker to her for a moment. Emma inclined her head slightly towards their son, and said, "Why don't you take him down to the cafeteria for something to eat?"

Regina looked taken aback for a moment, but then she smiled. "Okay."

Mary Margaret, who had been listening, roused Henry gently from his nap, and Regina got to her feet, hesitantly approaching Henry.

"Do you want to go get something to eat, Henry?"

Henry was still half asleep, but he was a growing boy and Emma couldn't remember the last time he had rejected someone's offer for food. He shot her a quick look for approval, and when Emma nodded, Henry shrugged. "Sure."

Regina was obviously thrilled, but she kept it well hidden behind a polite smile. As Henry got to his feet, Robin looked between Regina and Henry with an odd fascination, and quickly announced that he too wanted something from the cafeteria.

Emma was watching their departing backs when Dr. Whale came out of a side door then, brow furrowed as he read the charts in his hands. Emma shot to her feet, David on her heels, and Mary Margaret was a few moments behind, the set to her jaw indicating that even if she was slow on the uptake due to her pregnancy, she was not missing the news.

"How's Hook?" David demanded immediately.

Whale ignored him, still reading his charts with a frown. "You said the Wicked Witch did this?"

"She – she stuck her hand in his chest, but that's all we could see," Emma confirmed. "The next thing we knew, Hook was unconscious on the ground and she was gone."

Whale nodded. "Well, that makes more sense then." He chuckled dryly. "Medicine and magic don't mix very well, but from what I understand, Hook has lost his heart."

Mary Margaret covered her mouth with her hand, while both David and Emma stared at Whale, jaws open. "She took his heart?" Emma whispered finally, a sound like the roaring sea in her head. _No wonder she couldn't find a pulse._ An image of Graham on the ground, dead, flashed through her mind, and she breathed sharply in. "So he's–?"

"Oh, he's alive."

David and Mary Margaret both let out a huge sigh of relief, and Emma felt instantly overwhelmed, the sea still deafening in her mind; _no heart, but alive. _

_Alive. _

Emma didn't realize she had spoken out loud, until Whale nodded at her.

"Well, for now," he added, cautiously. "There is no telling what the witch will do with his heart in the future, but yes, for now he is still alive." He tilted his head to the door he had emerged from, saying, "He's sleeping; if Zelena has his heart, I doubt he will wake until she orders him to."

The careless way Whale said that made Emma's blood boil; the thought of someone being so utterly controlled by another was a horrifying thought, not made any better by the fact that it was _Hook _being controlled by _Zelena_, and here Whale was, talking as if they were discussing the weather.

David was glaring angrily at Whale too, but Whale continued as if he hadn't noticed a thing. "We've done all we can for him now; he has a concussion and his chest and left side his face were badly scraped, but we've cleaned and bandaged what we could up. I want to keep him overnight for observation; we don't know what the medical effects losing your heart will do to a person so it's best if he remains here until ..." he trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

Mary Margaret, sensing Whale was finished updating them, reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you, Dr. Whale. We'll take it from here."

He nodded at her once, departing, and when he was gone, Emma could feel her parents' heavy eyes trained on her. She steadfastly ignored them, turning to face Hook's hospital room. He didn't have his heart … he was going to be like Graham, she realized. Following the witch's every request, mindless, lost, dangerous. But, unlike Graham, Hook was a pirate, already lethal and deadly without a psychotic witch controlling him.

He was a weapon, Emma realized. That was what Zelena wanted. She had her monkeys, controlled the Dark One, and now she had Captain Hook too.

There was only one thing to be done to ensure both his and the town's safety. Her emotions firmly off, Emma went to her jacket on the chair, pulling out a pair of handcuffs (as sheriff, she always carried them around) and began striding towards the door to the hospital room.

Mary Margaret was a step behind her, saying hurriedly, "Emma, what –"

"If the witch has his heart, she can control him," she said back firmly. "He could be told to do anything for her; we need to lock him up."

Her parents exchanged a worried glance. "Emma, I know you're upset –" Mary Margaret began.

"Yeah, I am," Emma interrupted, cold fury breaking out of her carefully controlled walls for an instant. "But this is for his protection, Mary Margaret. Killian will be a slave to Zelena until we can get his heart back. She can use him in any way she wants. _Think about it _– a three hundred year old pirate? He's a weapon. This is for his own good, and ours."

David and Mary Margaret looked at each other again, making Emma feel like a small child. Annoyed, she turned and went into the room.

It was a different room than Hook had been in before; it was private and quiet when Emma pushed open the door. Hook was lying silently on the bed while the machines he was hooked up to beeped contentedly, eyes shut and bandages on his face and chest. They had stripped him of his leather outfit, dressing him in a similar hospital gown to the one he had been in before after he'd been hit by the car. He was asleep, like Whale had said, his chest was moving lightly up and down with even, shallow breaths.

She walked slowly to his bedside and regarded him silently. She wasn't sure what she was looking for – some sign that something was different with him, some sign that Zelena had a hold on him, but for all appearances (save the bandages) he appeared peacefully asleep.

Then again, Graham had been perfectly normal when Regina had controlled him, and Aurora too with Cora. And if it was true that Zelena was Cora's daughter and Regina's sister, Emma had a feeling that Hook would be acting perfectly normal until Zelena wanted him to.

The thought made her unreasonably angry. Here, Killian was lying on the hospital bed, unconscious and basically a prisoner because he had been attacked by a monster. Killian, who had done so much to try to redeem himself from the darkness of Captain Hook, who had taken them to Neverland to save Henry, who had saved David's life, who had helped reunite her with Neal to his own detriment … the list went on and on, Emma recognized. So many things he had done, selflessly, for her, and if they weren't able to get his heart back, Emma wouldn't be able to properly thank him for all he'd done.

"Are you sure about this?" Mary Margaret asked suddenly from behind her, startling her. She drew a deep breath in, wondering how long her mother had been standing in the room with them.

"Yeah."

Hook's arm was limp when Emma lifted it up, placing one end of the handcuff around it, the other around the bar of the bed. He didn't flinch at all at her touch, still completely unconscious. Feeling suddenly exhausted and drained, Emma set his arm down gently, adjusting the handcuff so that it wouldn't pull too tightly on him but still keep him secure. She turned away, refusing to look at Mary Margaret. "Come on; let's go get his heart back before Zelena has time to do any more damage."

Her mother nodded resolutely, heading back into the hallway, and with one quick look back to Hook's still figure, Emma closed the door.

* * *

_let me know what you thought! :) _


	3. part three

_heart made of tin _

___summary: _Zelena requires three things for her revenge on Regina to be complete: a brain, courage, and a heart. Regina's has escaped her reach for now, but she is not the only person in Storybrooke with a strong heart.

_note: thanks to all of you for reading; sorry this is so delayed, I've had a pretty nightmarish week. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the greatest, but I wanted to get it out for you guys because the next one may not be out for a while, as I try to get through exams and recover._

* * *

_part three_

Darkness.

Quiet.

Stillness.

If this was death, then Killian was relieved. There was no sound, not even the sound of his breathing or heart beating, and there was an overreaching mood of calmness and serenity. He wasn't sure if he was standing in a dark room, or if his mind was just somehow floating through a darkness that he couldn't name, but whatever it was it was quiet and comforting, nothing like the pain he had been expecting.

He had thought he might end up in Davey Jones' locker when he was dead, sworn into service of the sea, but he couldn't have died at sea, Killian realized. The _Jolly Roger_ was long gone, sacrificed what felt like a lifetime ago for what was now just folly. No, he had died somehow else … how, though, he couldn't place. That should have bothered him, but, strangely, it didn't, for he was dead already and there was nothing to be done.

In the times when he had been on the brink of death, Killian had thought that, if there was a merciful god somewhere out there, he would get to see Liam and Milah again. Maybe even his mother, maybe even Baelfire now. To see them, to beg them for their forgiveness for what he had become – a pirate, a murderer, a liar, a shadow of the Killian they had known.

But, as life was unfair, so was death, and villains don't get happy endings.

In this eternal quiet, the thought of happy endings always drew his mind back to what could have been, what might have been, had he not died. He thought, as always, of Emma. Her bright green eyes and flaxen hair; warm lips and a rarer, warm smile. It made Killian feel a twinge of regret, of guilt, of sadness. He was dead and Emma was alive. He was gone before he ever really got to tell her what he felt for her in plain words, before she knew how she had saved him from himself. She hadn't loved him, but he knew she had at least cared for him a bit, and now he was gone, just another loss in the tragedy of Emma Swan.

He tried, then, not to think of Emma, for it was painful and he couldn't torture himself for perpetuity of unspoken words and time cut short, but Killian was weak and thinking of her was easy. Wondering how she was coping with his death, how she had moved on; wondering simply if she was happy.

As Killian drifted through the eternal darkness, thoughts wrapped up in Emma, he became acutely aware that something was tugging at his consciousness, pulling him away from the peacefulness of death. He tried to fight it off, to remain where he was, but there was no defeating it.

When he finally opened his eyes, it was like being drenched in a cold bath of water. The peace was shattered, falling away from Killian in pieces of sharp glass, cutting into the peace with cold reality.

His head was hurting something terrible, a strange fogginess clouding his mind, and his chest and face burned in pain. Groaning, he looked around him, realizing with a jolt that he was in the hospital again.

He hadn't been dead, he realized. Just unconscious. The thought was both relieving and crushing at the same time, and Killian couldn't exactly place why.

He also couldn't remember what had happened to land him back in the hospital. His mind was slowly returning to him, but the last memory he could recall was that of he, Emma, and David departing Granny's diner. He knew something must've happened after, something dire enough to have him in the hospital again, but no matter how hard he wracked his mind, he could not remember.

As he shifted in the bed, trying to get more comfortable but just failing, Killian realized there was something wrong. Forget the cloudiness in his head, he felt strangely hollow, like a piece of him was missing. He grimaced, making to raise his hand to scratch his face in thought, only to find that he was firmly handcuffed to the bed.

He frowned as he stared at his bound hand, tugging at the cuffs. Uncertainty was creeping into his mind, making him confused. Why was he locked up? The last time he'd awoken handcuffed to a hospital bed had made sense, but this time he was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to warrant it.

Last time he had been in here, a kindly nurse had shown him how to summon the doctors when he needed them, and as he reached for the magical summoning button, Killian felt a severe pain in his chest. It made him gasp, hand curling into a tight fist at his side, button not pressed. He gritted his teeth against the pain, leaning back against the pillows, and then there was the same pull that had awoken him calling to him. This time it was urging him that he needed to get away from the hospital, needed to get away _now_, that he was required somewhere else.

He was powerless to resist it. Somewhere, deep down, Killian was aware that he shouldn't be breaking free, but that part that was muffled against the overwhelming urge to escape.

It was too easy to slip through the handcuffs; he was a pirate after all and had spent his share of days in a brig or two (or several). And then, it was even easier to slip from the hospital, slipping in and out of shadows behind the hospital workers, and out into the streets of Storybrooke. It was still night out, dawn just about to break, but he didn't know if it was the same day he had previously been aware of, or many days later.

Killian wasn't quite sure where he was going, or how he was going to get there, but somehow his feet knew and led him through the cold Storybrooke forest to a small cabin secluded in the middle of the trees.

He pushed open the old wooden door when he reached it, a loud creaking echoing through the hollow house and into the surrounding area. There were only three rooms in the cabin, a large main room, a kitchen off to the right and a bathroom across the way. A section of the large main room was curtained off near the bathroom, and the only light in the whole place came from a single slender taper on the kitchen table, casting long shadows upon the walls. Killian came to a stop in front of the candle, regarding it curiously. He didn't know how long he simply stood there, staring at it, until a voice spoke out from the shadows.

"Captain."

It should have startled him, but he just looked over to the source of the voice, expressionless. Zelena stood in the doorway, her face illuminated by the low light in sharp contrasts of light and dark. She took a few steps into the room as she continued speaking. "I hope you didn't mind your extended nap … I had a few things to take care of before I could call on you."

He watched her come closer to him, stone-faced. He felt like he should be afraid, should be bloody _terrified, _but he could only stand there as the witch began walking around him in a circle.

"My my, we can't have you looking so … _battered_," Zelena tutted. She paused in front of him, waving her hand through the air. Green smoke engulfed him; instantly, Killian felt a warmth on the wounds on his chest and face, the sure sign of magical healing. The smoke wrapped itself around him; where it touched him turning the hospital clothes into his usual leather attire. His sword was attached to his hip again, the hook was back on his wrist too, glittering in the candlelight as the smoke faded from around him.

"There," Zelena purred. "That's more like it."

The haziness hadn't lifted from his mind, but without the added sensation of pain, Killian started to feel slightly more like himself.

"I don't know why I'm here or what you've done to me to get me here, _witch_, but whatever you are thinking I am going to do for you, you're sorely mistaken."

She rolled her eyes, amused. "Oh, Hook, _really_. Are we going to have to go through this all over again? _You don't have a choice_."

He frowned at her, unsure of what she was saying. At his expression, Zelena grinned, a twinge of madness flickering in her eyes. At her hip was a small bag, and she reached into it, withdrawing a beating heart.

* * *

Emma and David had been out looking for the Wicked Bitch of the West (as Emma had taken to calling her) for three long days since Killian had been attacked. The first day had been fruitless, making both David and Emma frustrated, and so for the second day and third day, Regina, Tinkerbell, and Robin had been recruited to help them out. They hadn't been much help either, but the added force had at least stopped David and Emma from snapping in frustration at each other.

It was the early morning of the fourth day, a bleakly cold day, and the group had decided to patrol the woods after a fruitless search on the east side of Storybrooke yesterday. It was only Emma, David, Tink and Regina this morning; Robin Hood hadn't joined them at their approved meeting point and time, and everyone reasoned he must be patrolling Zelena's farmhouse with his band of Merry Men. They had been watching the house for days, but there had been no sign of Zelena near it. Emma knew she must've moved to a different location, but where was turning into a frustrating, never-ending quest. There were many places to hide in Storybrooke, and Zelena, having recast the curse, could have created an innumerable amount more.

Dawn had just crested the horizon, the cool golden light filtering through the tree tops as Emma led the quartet through the woods, their footsteps making loud echoes against the quiet. The forest that morning was cold and eerie; a heavy winter fog had rolled in off the Atlantic Ocean, shrouding Storybrooke its midst. Even though it was a little creepy, walking through a misty forest in search of a crazed villain, it was somewhat peaceful, Emma thought. In the craziness of the last couple days, Emma hadn't had much time to her own thoughts, but trekking through Storybrooke's woods afforded her a couple precious moments.

Henry had become moody and withdrawn since Killian's attack, and Emma blamed it entirely on Zelena. She'd sent him out today to go fishing with Leroy, as he had enjoyed it the last time, but he had been sullen and silent when she'd dropped him off early that morning, muttering that he would rather spend time alone in the hotel room than go out on another sea adventure while Killian was in the hospital and couldn't come along.

He had warmed so quickly to Killian, and now that small brightness in Henry's life since learning his father had died was ruined. Henry had wanted to go visit him in the hospital (insisted on it, really) but Emma hadn't wanted him there to see the handcuffs she'd placed on him. Her refusal only made Henry more annoyed with her, and there was a rift starting to grow between them. Henry was a smart kid, always had been, and he knew something was going on that people weren't telling him; Emma refusing to let him see Killian was only adding to his suspicion and frustration.

If Zelena hadn't cursed everyone again, Emma would still be in New York with Henry, both blissfully unaware of everything. Henry wouldn't be so unhappy, but, because of that witch, he was. Emma wouldn't have had to start lying to him, but because of her, she had to.

Interrupting her increasingly dark train of thoughts, Tink asked, "How's Hook?"

Emma glanced at the fairy. She looked genuinely concerned, and a prick of jealousy bloomed in Emma's gut. There was history between Tink and Hook, Emma knew. What, exactly, she didn't, but they had been in Neverland together for years, and she had seen them coming out of Granny's inn together that one time. The jealousy Emma was feeling was stupid and unfounded – _you have no claim to Hook by your own doing_ – and she shoved the feeling aside, and shrugged.

"Still out as far as I know. The hospital said they'd let me know if anything changed, but I haven't heard yet."

"Have you gone to see him?"

"No, he's unconscious; what good would that do him?"

Tink shot her a look. "But what about you?"

Emma opened her mouth, and closed it again. "I'm fine."

The fairy was entirely unconvinced. "I think going to see him would do _you_ some good, Emma. You've not been yourself since he was attacked."

"I haven't been myself since I got woken up from eleven years of fake memories," Emma said shortly, glancing behind her to see that Regina and David were several steps behind, arguing about something as per usual and not paying attention to either Emma or Tink. Emma looked back to Tink and sighed. "Besides, Hook is safe in the hospital; if I go, I could draw attention to him."

"Zelena already has his heart, there's not much more harm that just going to visit him would do, but it could make you feel a bit better."

Emma was starting to feel cornered, and she came to a stop, Tinkerbell copying her so that they stood face to face. "No offense, Tink, but you don't know me."

Tink shrugged, unoffended. "Not very well, I'll admit that. But I am a fairy, and I did spend a great deal of time with you and Hook in Neverland and then in Storybrooke; I'm not blind. Maybe you are, but I'm not."

Emma stared at her, taken aback at the fairy's bluntness, but in the time they had stopped, David and Regina had caught up to them, and Emma had no desire to have this conversation in front of her father and her son's other mother who already made enough comments about Emma's 'boyfriend'.

Shooting a look to Tink that clearly said _shut up_, Emma gestured to the trees in front of them. "Come on, let's look up ahead. Mr. Gold used to have a cabin around here, if I'm remembering correctly; we haven't checked there yet."

Tink was still seriously judging Emma, she could tell, but Emma pushed past her and into the tree line. The group walked in silence for a time, and they had just about reached a clearing that led to the cabin Emma had been thinking of, when Emma's phone rang suddenly. It broke shrilly into the silence of the forest, Tink and David both jumping in alarm at the unexpected sound.

Emma fumbled in her jacket for it for a moment, finally pulling it out and answering it without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was calm, but the news that they delivered made Emma anything but. When they finished, and had hung up, she pulled the phone from her ear with shaking hands, and stared at the others.

"What is it?" David demanded.

"That was the hospital," Emma said, her lips numb. "Hook's gone." David and Tink drew in a deep breath, Regina muttering a swear word. Emma stared at David, hand still holding out her phone. "What are we going to do?" she asked in a whisper. "If Zelena has Hook now –"

She was interrupted by a loud rustling sound from behind them. Emma nearly dropped her cellphone, so rattled that she was. She quickly slid it into her pocket, drawing out her gun at the same moment. David did so as well, Regina and Tink whirling around with their hands raised and ready to cast some magic if needed.

The rustling continued for a moment until Robin Hood burst through the trees then, gasping. Emma and David lowered their guns with a breath of relief that it was him and not a monkey, Regina and Tink doing the same with their hands.

"We thought you weren't coming," David said, smiling in welcome. "How did you find us?"

Robin ignored him, pushing his way through a brush and closer towards them. As he approached, Emma realized that Robin's eyes were wild red-rimmed from tears, his entire face wracked with indescribable pain and panic.

Regina saw it too, and she took a step forward. "Robin? Are you alright?"

"The – the witch," he panted. "She – Regina, she's taken him."

"Taken who?" Regina said sharply, a growing fear on her face. David and Emma exchanged a horrified look, the realization dawning on them. Regina seemed to have come to the same conclusion, and Regina took another step towards Robin, hands hesitantly coming out towards him. "Robin, who has she taken?"

He seemed unable to speak the name, but after a few moments, he choked out, "Roland."

* * *

Where there should have been shock, there was only numbness. Killian stared at Zelena's hand, his thumping heart in her palm with increased speed as he stared at it, horror flooding him. Unconsciously, his own hand reached up to his chest, fingers hovering over the left side. "You took my heart?"

Zelena shrugged. "Don't take it personally, and don't you worry your pretty little head – I'm not going to crush it. At least –" she laughed coldly "– not yet."

Killian didn't think he had ever felt so appalled and horrified in his life. Full of dread and horror, his fingers twitched towards the sword at his belt, but before he could reach for it, Zelena was turning away and out of reach.

"Now that we're all up to speed, I have a job for you to do," she said, walking towards the curtained section of the room.

Killian found that his feet were suddenly working again, and he walked slowly after Zelena, hand still hovering over his sword. He was now hesitant to draw it, lest she decide to actually crush his heart, but he didn't want to be totally unprepared should she pull the curtains back to reveal some sort of monster.

"What is it?" he asked cautiously.

"I need you to deliver a message for me."

"A message?" Killian repeated, dully. "You took my heart just to make me your messenger boy?"

She shrugged then, smiling. "All in due time, Captain. For now, all I require of you is for you to send a message to my dear sister."

Killian knew he had to play it calm and cool and go along with whatever Zelena wanted while she still held his heart in her hands; he had seen this enough to know how it could end. He came up quite close to Zelena, close enough that even in this dim light, he could see the blue of her eyes clearly. "What is this message, then?"

"Regina has something I want, and now, I have something she does. I want you to offer her a trade."

"A trade? For what?"

"Her heart."

Killian raised an eyebrow; _what was with Cora and her daughters' fascination with hearts, like seriously_. "You want her heart?" he said, sceptically. "I don't think Regina will trade anything for her heart."

A cruel smile lit Zelena's features. "Oh, this might change her mind."

She threw back the curtains with a flick of her wrist, revealing, to Killian's horror, a small bed with a child on it. The child was a young boy, probably only four or five years of age, with a dark tousle of hair and small hands clutching a stuffed monkey doll. He was currently fast asleep, although Killian couldn't tell if it was magically induced or if he was simply napping.

"A child," Killian said, pure shock running through him. "You kidnapped a child?"

Zelena shrugged, unfazed, and let the curtain fall back to hide the sleeping boy from view. "He'll be returned to his father with no harm done to him when I have what I want. And if I don't … well, what's the life of one child worth, really."

That made Killian want to attack her more than her stealing his heart, his hand curling into a fist and jaw tightening, but he tried to hold himself together. "What use is this boy to Regina?" he asked, voice carefully controlled.

"Leverage, Captain." At Killian's expression, Zelena explained, "My monkeys are always watching, and they overheard little Roland's father mentioning to one of his mates that Regina had given him something very, _very_, valuable that she needed kept safe from me." She shrugged. "With my knowledge of Regina and this Robin Hood from the last year, I deduced things from there."

"So Robin Hood has Regina's heart?" Killian asked, surprised. That certainly helped explain why Regina was always staring so yearningly at Robin Hood. "Literally?"

"Oh yes, very literally. And, I sincerely doubt that dear Robin would sacrifice the safety and wellbeing of his only child for my wretch of a sister, but it's more fun to put it up to Regina to decide what is more important to her; herself or this little boy." Zelena paused, thoughtful for a moment. "You should be grateful, Captain. I could have easily taken the son my sister shares with your beloved, but little Roland works just as well." She shrugged, mouth quirking into a smile. "Another time, I suppose."

The thought of Zelena coming anywhere near Henry created another surge of anger in Killian, and this time, there was no way he was going to remain stoic. He didn't even bother drawing his sword, instead raising his hooked arm and slashing it towards the witch. She had not been expecting him to act, clearly, and didn't move fast enough to totally avoid being hit, the razor sharp hook scratching her cheek.

With a yell of pain, she jumped fully away from Killian, hand coming up to her face and away sticky with blood. The slash wound healed as he watched, the witch looking truly mad for a moment as it did, but Killian didn't feel an ounce of regret for striking her.

Her voice was icy. "What a mistake."

Killian knew what she was going to do to him, and he was not let down. Zelena raised her hand with his heart in it, fingers tightening, and instantly, the pain was agonizing, like swords being driven straight through him. It made Killian drop to the ground, hand clutching at his chest.

His eyes were rolling into the back of his head from the pain, and he croaked out, "Stop –" but Zelena squeezed his heart again, and the word died from his lips.

She leaned over him, rage sparking in her eyes. "If you ever raise a hand to me again, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Her fingers were still tight around his heart, making it increasingly hard for Killian to breathe, let alone speak again against her. He shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to regain his own thoughts and volition. "Just do it," he spat, having to force the words out in a jerky, stuttered speech. "Kill me. Because you may have my heart, but I won't work with you willingly."

Zelena straightened, waving her free hand upwards and jerking Killian unsteadily back to his feet with the motion.

"I didn't realize how far gone the Captain Hook in you really was," she snapped. "She has truly chased that glorious villain deep within, hasn't she? Your loyalty to the Saviour and her family is admirable, I must admit, and if says anything about you, it's that you are loyal to the point of stupidity." She smirked then. "I can't have this lovey-dovey side of you screwing things up for me; I had thought simply removing your heart would cure you of any residual feelings, but I see I was wrong. Perhaps a direct order will do the trick." She grabbed his face then, nails scratching him, and he was forced to look into her eyes. "No more emotions, Hook._ Turn them off_. I don't ever want to see Killian Jones _again_."

Her voice echoed in the dark cabin, and an icy chill swept over Killian with her words; it was freezing his blood and numbing him back into a terribly familiar shell he thought he had shed for good. It was the cold darkness he had been trapped within for those long centuries, the emptiness and void left behind by a broken heart and a torn apart future. That small part of him that had tried to fight off breaking free from the hospital was back now too, screaming, but there was no hope.

He hadn't realized he had closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, the world around him seemed different, harsher, _sharper_. Zelena was watching him closely, nails still digging into his cheeks, and when Hook stared back at her with his now empty eyes, she smiled.

"Much better."

She released his face, shoving him to the side. He stumbled away, hand coming out to the wall to steady himself. When he looked up again, Zelena had turned to face him, hand still around his heart, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Now, run along, Captain; you have a message to deliver."

* * *

_Let me know what you thought!_


	4. part four

_heart made of tin _

_summary: _Zelena requires three things for her revenge on Regina to be complete: a brain, courage, and a heart. Regina's has escaped her reach for now, but she is not the only person in Storybrooke with a strong heart.

note: I loved one of Regina's lines so much in 3x18 I wanted to use it here as well; if you feel it's familiar, it is! As well, Killian is clearly not himself anymore … so yeah, you've been warned. I thought I'd just add to the angst of 3x19 by hitting you all with another dose of pain. You're welcome in advance ;)

* * *

_part four_

They returned to the loft immediately. After explaining to a horrified Mary Margaret what had happened, they had all taken seats at the kitchen table, save Regina. The mayor was infuriated, angrier than Emma had seen her in a while, and she was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself.

"What could Zelena possibly want with a little boy?" Tinkerbell demanded.

"What could she want with my baby?" Mary Margaret said sadly, rubbing a hand over her belly. "We don't know why she wants anything because of our missing year." She sighed, and rested her head on her hand. "We don't even know where she is."

"No, that we do not know," Regina said, coming over and sitting down in a huff across from Mary Margaret. "But, if she took Roland, it's leverage. She's making a move and wants something from us; she'll send some sort of ransom message sooner or later."

Robin was sitting stoically at the kitchen table, and David clamped him on the back, startling the former thief. "We'll get him back, Robin," David said earnestly. "No matter what."

The other man nodded tightly and smiled weakly at David, but it didn't reach his eyes.

The room descended into an uneasy silence, finally broken a few minutes later by Tink. "So what do we do now?"

"Nothing," Regina said, fuming. "But wait."

* * *

As it turned out, though, they didn't have to wait for long. Mary Margaret was making everyone a cup of strong tea when there was a sudden, curt knock at the door. Regina and Emma exchanged a glance while David stood to answer it out of practice.

"David –"

It was too late; David was swinging open the door as Emma spoke. From her angle, Emma couldn't see who was there, but whoever it was made David take a step back in surprise.

"Hook?"

Emma was on her feet instantly, chair tipping over behind her and clattering onto the ground. Regina, Tink and Robin were also standing now, the four of them joining David to form a semicircle around Hook at the doorway.

The last time Emma had seen Killian, he had been unconscious in a hospital bed with bandages over his face and chest, but the man in front of her was entirely healed and dressed again in his leather attire. He looked perfectly normal, but Emma knew instantly that it was not the same Killian that had gone into the hospital.

He cocked his head to the side, regarding them all with cold, cunning eyes. His gaze lingered on Emma for a slightly longer moment than the others, but then his gaze moved on and his handsome face twisted into a sneer at their defensive position. Emma felt the pit of dread in her stomach that had existed ever since Hook vanished from the hospital clench painfully. This was the Captain Hook Emma had seen several times before, but not for a very long time; he had looked this demonic when he had stabbed Gold in Manhattan, his eyes dark and unflinching.

David saw the change in Hook too, and his hand was at his belt, drawing his sword and aiming it at the pirate's throat. "What are you doing here?"

Hook smirked, his hook pushing the sword away from himself indifferently and he took a step further into the loft, the others taking an automatic one backwards. "You won't need your weapons." His voice was cool and distant, almost bored sounding. "I'm simply here to deliver a message."

Robin approached Hook then; he didn't have a weapon, but from the expression on his face, it was apparent he was prepared to beat the living daylights out of Hook with just his fists. "What has that witch done with my son?"

"Funny you should ask," Hook said, and he inclined his head towards a full length mirror that stood in the loft, opposite the kitchen table.

It was reflecting the loft only at the moment, but even as Emma watched, the image began to swirl in a sickly haze of green, twisting to reveal a new, horrifying one. A little boy was lying alone on a small cot bed, a grey stuffed monkey in his arms and his eyes firmly shut. The room he was in was dark, lit by what must've been a flickering candle, and so it was hard to make out much other than basic features. Emma had never seen Robin's son before, but there was no doubt that it was him from Robin's immediate reaction.

He let out a choked cry, moving instantly to the mirror, hands coming out to touch the cool glass. "Roland –"

Emma looked back to Hook, horrified, but he was watching Regina now, head tilted with a calculating gleam to his eyes. "If you want the boy back, your majesty," he said, his voice deliberately slow and careful and Regina turned to face him. "Zelena wants to offer you a deal."

"Of course she does," Regina hissed, taking a step forwards so that she was nearly nose to nose with Hook. "What is it?"

Hook smiled at her, unaffected by her proximity. "It's quite simple, really. If you turn over your heart to her, you will get the boy back. If not …" he shrugged. "I suppose you don't want to find out."

Robin shot Hook a dirty look from his place by the mirror, and David's hand tightened on his sword. Regina straightened, eyes darkening.

"You can tell my sister that I'll meet her whenever she wants, _pirate_, and she'll get what she wants. But, you can also tell her that if she hurts a hair on Roland's head, I will make her death the most torturous in all the lands."

Hook simply raised an eyebrow. "Zelena will call on you when she's ready," he said, turning away from her and towards the door. "Don't disappoint her if you want the boy back in one piece."

Emma was following Hook before she even knew she was doing it. Her father reached out for her with a strangled, "Emma, don't –" but she slipped out of his range and followed Hook out of the loft.

He was halfway down the stairwell, and she leaned over the rail to call down to him. "Hook, wait –"

He paused, and sighed. "Don't bother," he said, not looking up to her. "You're just wasting your breath. Just get the queen to meet Zelena and things will be over for us all soon."

"What do you mean?" Emma pressed, her heart hammering at his words. _You're just wasting your breath_. "Hook, what has Zelena done to you?"

Finally he looked up at her. His expression was empty, but his eyes were heavy and haunted. "She restored me," he said simply, and without saying another word, he turned and was gone down the apartment staircase with a swish of his black jacket.

* * *

When Emma returned to the loft, mind racing and hands shaking more than she wanted to admit, it was as silent as a cemetery. Robin was still staring at the mirror, but the image of his kidnapped son had faded and he was just staring blankly at his own reflection. David had gone over to him, and was talking in a low voice but Robin didn't seem to be paying any attention at all.

Everyone else had come to the main table again, sitting down and staring at each other in muted horror. Emma couldn't sit, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room while her thoughts ran wild.

It had been like seeing a ghost; the Hook that had come had been the Hook of many months ago, the one who cared for nothing more than his aim of killing Rumpelstiltskin. His end goal was different now – if he even had one anymore with Zelena controlling him – but the mindset was the same; nothing but darkness existed in him. Zelena had twisted him back into the monster, stripping every good thing about him away as if it had never been.

Emma knew how much the past haunted Killian, because she too was haunted daily by who she had been and what she had lost. She knew that he hadn't wanted to return to the person he used to be, to return to the emptiness of Captain Hook; he hadn't needed ever to say how much who he had been tormented him, Emma just knew. He had been trying to be a better person, to redeem himself for what he had done, and now he was right back to where he had been before. Emma felt sick to her stomach, the realization of how different Hook truly had been for the past months now hitting her with the force of a train.

"There isn't an option," Regina said finally, interrupting Emma's thoughts. "We have to give Zelena my heart."

Mary Margaret slammed her hand down vehemently on the table, making everyone jump. "Regina, if you do that, she can control you! No, we'll come up with another –"

Regina shook her head, looking slightly surprised at Mary Margaret's reaction. "No, Snow, she can't. Before … before I gave it to Robin for safekeeping, I enchanted it so that no one can control it. I wanted to be sure that if anything were to happen, if she were to find it somehow, she couldn't control me."

Mary Margaret was taken aback, but Tink was impressed. "You enchanted it?"

The queen nodded absently, wringing her fingers together. "Another thing my mother taught me," she said, with a wry smile that vanished as soon as it appeared.

"You need to teach me that spell," Emma muttered, crossing her arms restlessly.

Regina rolled her eyes, and sighed. "It wouldn't matter if she could control me with it anyways; she wants it, she can have it." Her eyes flickered to Robin and then away again. "Nothing is worth the loss of a child."

Hours went by with no word from Zelena. Robin became increasingly agitated, until he finally announced that he was going to fetch his band of Merry Men to wait for her call. Regina went with him, looking concerned at the thought of Robin marching through the woods alone. Tink departed soon after, promising to fetch the Blue Fairy and the other nuns to help them as well.

An hour after the three had left, Henry and Leroy returned from their fishing trip. Emma and her parents had gone to the hotel room Emma and Henry were staying in at Granny's to wait for him, and while David muttered quietly to Leroy what was going on, Henry approached Emma.

"Mom, can we go see Killian later?"

Mary Margaret looked up sharply from the couch. Emma ignored her, and swallowing the pain in her stomach, shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Henry demanded instantly.

"I –I don't want you to see him in the condition he's in," Emma said, not quite lying anymore. "When he's a bit better, you – you can see him."

"I can handle it now," Henry said tightly. He took a deep breath. "Mom, I don't know what's going on, but I want to see Killian. You said … you said the guys who killed my dad did this to him; I need to see that he's going to be okay for myself. _Please_."

Before Emma could come up with a response, there was a sudden explosion from outside. It shook the entire room, dust falling from the ceiling and paintings rattling on the walls. Leroy was out the door instantly, his heavy steps pounding on the stairs that led down to the diner.

Henry's eyes watched Leroy leave, and then he turned back to Emma, fear pinching his brow. "What was that?"

"Stay here," Emma ordered, exchanging a quick glance with her parents. "Mary Margaret, will you stay here with Henry?"

She nodded, reaching out for Henry, but he slipped from her grip and moved towards Emma.

"Mom –"

"Henry, I need you to stay here with Mary Margaret," Emma interrupted, firmly. "Please."

He frowned at her, but, after a moment, reluctantly nodded. "Be careful," he said, wrapping his arms around Emma in a tight hug.

Her heart twinging, Emma hugged him back. "Always am, kid."

She released Henry, and then Mary Margaret was pulling her into a hug too. "Keep him away from the windows," Emma muttered into her mother's ear. "I don't want him watching any of this."

Mary Margaret nodded as they pulled away, and then she was reaching out for Henry, drawing him towards her. "Be careful," she echoed. "Both of you."

David kissed Mary Margaret goodbye, and then the pair of them were out the hotel door and down the stairs in a matter of moments.

The diner was surprisingly crowded, but Emma supposed the idea that the witch had kidnapped a young child would draw people out to fight if nothing else would. Leroy had joined Happy, the only remaining dwarf, at the bar and both were pulling out axes, bows and arrows, guns, and swords out from the lower shelving and distributing them to the crowd. The Merry Men were checking and rechecking their loaded crossbows, Ruby was tying her hair into a long ponytail, looking anxious, while Regina and Robin were still seated at a table, talking in low voices. Tink, the Blue Fairy and the other nuns were engrossed in a conversation near the doorway, and even Dr. Whale was there, rustling through his medical bag and muttering to himself.

Leroy tossed David two swords and other accessories as they passed, and her father held out a sheathed sword and belt to Emma. At her askance look, he said, "You never know what you'll need."

She sighed, and nodded tightly, setting down her gun on a dining table to wrap the belt around her waist and slide the heavy sword through it. It felt odd, as it always did, to have a sword at her side when she was so used to this world's weaponry of guns and pepper spray instead, but when fighting fairy tale creatures and people, swords seemed more appropriate anyways.

Another explosion rocked the diner then, shaking the windows so badly Emma thought they were going to shatter. Everyone looked around in alarm, and Regina and Robin finally got to their feet.

"I guess that's our cue," David muttered under his breath, and Emma nodded tightly.

The entirety of the diner filed out then, David at the lead. The main street of Storybrooke certainly looked as if an explosion or two had gone off, the road ripped up and smoking; Emma had to sidestep a large piece of concrete that had landed on the pathway up to Granny's just to get out onto the street.

Zelena stood in the middle of the road, Gold on her left and Hook on her right. Roland was there too; he was awake now, clutching his monkey and crying. Hook's hook was on the child's shoulder to keep him in place, and even though Roland clearly saw Robin in the crowd coming out, he didn't move an inch away from the pirate.

"So nice of you to join us this fine evening," Zelena called out in a singsong voice. "All of you."

Robin growled and Regina had no time for niceties; she snapped, "Let's get this over with."

Zelena smiled. "Of course; you must all be very busy trying to find a way to defeat me. Don't worry; I shan't keep you away from your plans for very long. In fact, as a gesture of goodwill, I will even allow little Roland to be handed over first."

She jerked her head to the right, and Hook released his hold on Roland. The boy didn't waste any time, throwing his monkey to the side and running straight to his father's awaiting arms with a cry of "Papa!"

The moment Robin's arms closed around his son's small body, Regina waved her hand and both disappeared in a cloud of swirling purple smoke.

Zelena walked through the fading smoke, Hook and Gold following her in a jerky unison. "Now your thief has his son back, and we had a deal, Regina. The boy for your heart. Hand it over."

Regina smile scathingly at her sister, and summoned a swirling ball of crackling blue magic in one of her hands. She had a sardonic smile on and seemed oddly calm now that Robin and Roland were gone from the street. "You want it? _Come and get it_."

Zelena snarled, but before the witch could summon her own magic, Regina had thrown the ball. Unfortunately, Zelena was quick and was gone before the blue orb was even near her, the Dark One using his own magic to vanish as well, but Hook was not that lucky. The blue energy force struck him hard in the chest, and like the last time he had been hit by magic, was sent flying into the air and landing hard on the cement several metres away.

A few people who had grown to know Hook cried out in surprise and Emma reacted instantly, ignoring Tink and David's screams of "It's not him!" as she ran towards the fallen Hook. She knew they were right; Hook wasn't himself, not while Zelena controlled him. But it was still Hook who had taken the shot of magic, still Hook who had been thrown when it hit him, still Hook who was groaning in pain on the ground.

By the time Emma reached him, he was halfway to his feet, muttering darkly to himself and running a hand over the spot the magic had hit him. She grasped his arm as he rose, but he pulled sharply away.

"Hook –"

He drew his sword then, the screech of the metal cutting the rest of her words off. He bowed dramatically at her, twirling the weapon in his hand, and smirked. "Shall we see if your sword fighting has improved any since our last duel? Somehow, I rather doubt it."

Anger blossomed in her stomach at his cutting words. _It's not Killian_, she reminded herself, gritting her teeth and drawing her own sword. _It's Zelena's version of him_.

Hook sneered at her, and then it began. As he lunged at her, Emma knew immediately this swordfight was different than the last; Hook was much quicker, truly the three hundred year old pirate that he was, slicing at her with feral force, and it was all Emma could do to keep up.

Their swords clanged in mid-air, metal screaming as they slid down on each other. Hook was larger than Emma, using his height and weight to his advantage to try to force her to drop her sword. But, this was Emma Swan, and she stood her ground.

It was beginning to look like an impasse; their swords were crossed in the air still, keeping both of Emma's hands occupied, but Hook's hook was free and he swung it around to loop it under her knee. Much like he had done to her in the Enchanted Forest, he lifted her leg up, throwing her off balance, and shoved her back so that she fell hard. She didn't hit her head, luckily, but the force was enough to knock the breath from her lungs, and she was stunned for a moment, staring at the starry sky while another set of stars popped in her vision. Hook's figure blocked her view then, but before he had a chance to inflict more damage, Emma kicked out at him. She hit his shin, the pirate stumbling away with a grunt of pain. Emma was back to her feet instantly, sword aimed and ready to battle.

"Bad form," Hook said, panting as he limped back towards her. "Very bad form, Swan."

Her head was still spinning, but Emma swallowed the dizziness as best she could and when Hook lunged at her again, she blocked him. If she could at least subdue him, then they could possibly lock him up again, keep him away from Zelena, and at this point Emma could see no other option until they had his heart back. He was too dangerous to let go.

But, after several more minutes of intense combat, Emma realizing with every swipe that she was woefully outmatched and even subduing him was going to be a challenge, her frustration won out and she cried, "This isn't you! Killian, she's controlling you!"

To her surprise, Hook jerked at his real name, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of something in his eyes, a small flash of humanity. It was gone instantaneously, replaced with a ferocious growl and slash at Emma that she barely had time to block, but it was that instant, that single second of _Killian_ coming through that Emma knew that there was a chancethat they could save him from himself.

She felt rejuvenated, and stronger than ever. With Emma blocking his swipe, she had locked their swords in the air again, and reacting to his true name was a momentary oversight on Hook's part; that and her returned strength gave Emma enough of an advantage to throw all her weight at their crossed swords. It unbalanced him enough to send him stumbling back in a flurry of swear words, and when he regained himself, Emma had her sword pointed at his throat.

"I am not giving up on you," she said. "The real Killian is in there somewhere, and I'm going to get him back."

His eyes glinted, and he sneered. "Then you're a fool, Emma Swan."

Like how he had done with David's sword earlier, his hook shoved the sword away from his neck. He took a step forward, and his sword swung out at her head then, close enough that Emma felt the cold snap of wind rustle her hair as he missed her by mere centimetres. She ducked as he spun around to follow up that swing with a slash from his hook.

There was no way this was going to work, Emma realized, dropping again as his sword flew the air where her head had been moments ago. He must've not been trying his hardest at Lake Nostos, but now that he was, Emma didn't have a chance.

She may not be able to beat him at sword fighting where he was at his strongest, but, she could beat him on her own terms – she did, after all, take down bad guys for a living. While Hook was turning to face her again after a rather dramatic twirl, she dove at him, shoulder hitting him in the gut and knocking them both to the ground.

Both of their swords went flying as they crashed into the cold ground. Hook took the brunt of the fall, groaning, and it gave Emma a moment to orient herself in such a way to keep Hook firmly down. She was now on top of him, legs on either side of his torso, and she reached for the back of her jeans where she kept her gun, but with horror, her hands grasped empty air.

She had left it behind at the diner, Emma realized; it had been forgotten in the immediate action after the second explosion had sent them all out into the streets. She was royally screwed without it. Normally, she would have pointed the gun at the guy she was chasing down and held him there until a) he was ready to surrender and agree to her terms or b) until the cops showed up to back her up, but neither would work here.

In the moments Emma had wasted, Hook had realized that she was defenseless. He smirked at her, and clicked his tongue. "Shame that didn't work."

Emma leaned back from him, ready to get to her feet and simply just run and get some reinforcements, but his hand gripped her left forearm, pulling her back and closer to him. He rolled them over so now she was the one on her back.

They had completely switched positions now. He leaned over her, and pressed the cold metal of his hook against her throat, the sharp point pricking her and creating a trickle of blood down her neck. All Emma could see was Hook, the cold, merciless edge to his features that she hated. The brief flash of Killian was gone, the real man buried deep within the monster again. Emma could hear someone calling out for her, voice cracking in terror, but she closed her eyes. She didn't want to give up, but she couldn't see a way out of this situation with his razor sharp hook to her neck and if this was how she was going to die, she didn't want to see it. Didn't want to see Hook be the one to do it.

"Any last words, Saviour?" His voice was low, whispery breath creating goose bumps on her cheeks.

She had a great deal many things to say, but they weren't going to help her; this wasn't Killian Jones, this was the worst part of Captain Hook brought back by Zelena, and nothing she could say would stop him from slitting her throat.

Zelena. This was all her doing. She was going to die because of her. She was going to leave her parents, her friends, _Henry_ – at that her heart broke. He was going to lose the only parent he had ever known, all because of this monstrous witch.

The urge to fight back was strong then, and suddenly, she felt it. No, not the hook slicing her neck open, but the familiar, pricking sensation of her magic.

_Magic, of course_.

It was still unfamiliar to her to rely on something that had been a thing of storybooks nearly two years ago, and she hadn't even thought of it. The tingle began in her gut and was spreading quickly, but before Emma could try to contain it, to focus it like Regina had tried to teach her in Neverland, it was exploding out of her chest. Her eyes popped open just as Hook cried out in surprise as the rush of magic hit him and sent him flying off of her. She sat up, head pounding, adrenaline and the after effects of magic rushing through her.

Hook was five metres away now, tangled in his heavy overcoat as he tried to get to his feet. Emma allowed herself a glance around to see what else was going on while he was occupied; Zelena and Gold had reappeared, and were both surrounded by large groups. Regina, David, Mother Superior, and a pair of the Merry Men were busy with Zelena, while literally everyone else was around Mr. Gold. The wolf that was Ruby was snarling at him, haunches raised, while Leroy, Happy and the remaining Merry Men kept firing arrows and bolts over and over again. Tink and the other fairies had their hands out, using some sort of spell to hold Gold in place for seconds at a time before he would break free and send his own blast of magic at his attackers.

Emma tore her gaze from them, eyes falling back to Hook. He had managed to get to his feet, shooting her a deathly glare as he strode back and Emma scrambled to her own feet. Their discarded swords were close by, and Emma grabbed them both. She threw Hook's as far as she could in the opposite direction, it flipping through the air and landing with a clatter on the pavement in front of the library.

Hook snarled at her, and made to approach her again, but as he came closer, Emma ready and braced with her sword, the ground shook suddenly underneath them. It was like Regina's earthquake spell she had cast earlier that week in the town hall, but this was much stronger. Then, just as quickly as it started, it was finished, but when Emma tried to move, she found she was locked in place.

The sound of the battle faded as the freezing magic took a hold of everyone, including Hook and Gold. Only Zelena still moved, her face twisted in fury and eyes dancing with vehemence as she strode towards the frozen Regina.

Regina's heart was in a leather bag strapped to her hip, and Zelena ripped it from its holder. Regina's eyes were reproachful, but she was unable to stop her. The witch pulled the heart from the bag, grinning maniacally as she examined it. "Just what I needed." She slipped it into the bag again and hissed, "Next time I won't be so generous as to leave you all alive. Be thankful for your final days; if I were you, I'd say your goodbyes." She winked at her sister, and with a flick of her wrist, she, Gold and Hook were each engulfed in a tower of green smoke and when it cleared, all three were gone.

The smoke fading had also loosened the spell holding them all in place did so too, Emma stumbling as the magic released her.

David was almost instantly at her side, examining her to see if she was hurt at all. "Emma, are you alright?" His hand reached out to her neck, where Emma was sure he could see the blood trail left by the hook, but she pushed him away, striding up to Regina.

"I need to learn to control my magic," Emma said, interrupting the quiet murmur of conversation of the crowd that had surrounded the mayor. She stared directly at Regina, her jaw tight. "And I need to learn it now."

* * *

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